


I Promise You

by ARocksaltGranule



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Genre: And all links, Angst, Brotherly Bonding, Family, Gen, Kidnapping, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Must protect Aryll, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:14:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23228452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ARocksaltGranule/pseuds/ARocksaltGranule
Summary: There is something strange on how Wild stared at Wind's sister. Wind was curious.When Wild make a promise to Aryll before they leave Outset Island, Wind wonder, why?[UNDER EDITING]
Relationships: Aryll & Link (Legend of Zelda), Twilight & Wild (Linked Universe), Wild & Wind (Linked Universe)
Comments: 50
Kudos: 246





	1. A Secret to Everybody

The salty air was one sign. Then the seagull. Then the sound of the wave.

“I think we are in my Hyrule!" Wind jumped excitedly while the other Links was still trying to get over the effect of the world switch. “Come on guys! There are a lot of things I want to show you!"

“Hold on, Sailor.” Time raised one of his hands. “I know that you are happy to be home. But we need to secure a place to rest first. Once we can secure a place safe enough to leave our belongings, you can guide us around. How's that sound?"

Wind observed his other traveling companion. Wild was helping Twilight that looks like going to vomit at any time. Four was sitting with his head rested in a tree. Wind could see the shortest hero kept mumbling to himself. A way to distract himself from the dizziness maybe? Legend was making fun of Warriors that still trying to free his scarf that got caught on a branch. Sky and Hyrule were the only two that already packed their stuff.

“Well, we can go to my house. Grandma and Aryll will be glad to see you guys. It’s not far from here.” With the answer, the group nod and started to follow the Sailor’s guide.

\---  
After The Links arrived at Wind house, all of them somehow easily feels at home. The sick squad (Twilight and Four) were resting at Wind's room, Wild started to help Wind’s Grandma to prepare dinner, not forgetting to ask for the soup recipe so he can make it in another occasion while they were not in Outset. The others were relaxed at the dinner table, while some sitting outside the house, chatting and enjoying the scenery of the beach as most of them never seen one.

“Dear, can you find Aryll? Dinner almost ready and It's going to dark soon.” His Grandma calling Wind as Wild bringing the pot to the dinner table. The waft of the soup delicious aroma was enough to call everyone in the house to come to the dining room.

“Sure Grandma! I’m sure she was still at the observation deck.” Wind stood up from where he sat, ready to went out when Wild’s raised his hand.

“Can I come? Need some palm fruit for the dessert. But I don’t have any left. I saw a tree that kinda similar to it on our way here.” Wind wasn’t sure if the tree in Outset will be the same with the one in Wild’s Hyrule. But Wild can make delicious thing even from the scrap, so he give him a nod, and both start to walk to the shore.

"Why did you need palm fruit? You have a lot of other stuff in your slate, right?" Wind asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Well, your grandma is kind enough to share her soup recipe to me. I've been looking forward to it since you told me about her soup. And I want to give her one of my recipes too, as a gratitude expression. If I make a palm fruit-based food, It will be easier for her to recreate it, since you have plenty in this island." Said Wild while he busy clicking his slate. Wind hum with a smile on his face. Wind sometimes forget how the chaotic Arson is also kind and considerate.

Not long after that, Wild's slate started to beeping near a palm tree and Wild, not even thinking twice, started to climb the tree to secure the so-called palm fruit in his slate. They were chatting on their way to the observation deck when a voice can be heard from afar.

“Link! You are back!” A young girl, dressed in a floral dress, big round eyes, and blond hair that tied in a low twin-tail run toward them, before tackling a hub to Wind, making the boy fall on his back.

“Aryll! Yeah, I’m home. And yeah, you are heavy!” Wind laugh as he tried to lift his sister.

“It is a punishment for leaving too long! I miss you, you stupid brother!” Aryll finally decided to release his brother and helping him to stand up.

Wind trying to remove the sands that now coating his shirt while trying to introduce Aryll to Wild. “Wild, this is my sister Aryll. Aryll this is…

... Wild?”

Wild was standing there, still, like a statue. He is staring at both of them, but also not anywhere. Wind know this, it already happened once at the lake. The blank stare, the way he was unresponsive to the sounds around him, Wild got another flashback.

“Is he okay, Link?” Aryll asked him while hiding herself in Wind’s back.

“I, I hope so… I’ll tell you later but for now, I can’t leave him alone. Do you want to go back home by yourself?” Wind stroking Aryll's hair slowly, calming his sister.

“No. He is your friend, right? I'm going to wait with you.”

So Wind and Aryll sit near the shore. Wind filling Aryll with the story of his latest adventure with the other heroes and his sister listened with beaming eyes. Once in a while, they will check on Wild that was still standing at their back. The sun already set and Wind was ready to ask Aryll to went back first and inform the other about Wild’s situation before he heard a gasp from the long-haired hero.

“Wild? Are you okay?” Wind quickly raised his hand, ready to catch the swaying body of his friend. But Wild was stubborn enough to balance himself.

“Uh, yeah… I'm fine…” Wild took a moment to focus his blurry vision. He realized that the sky was already dark. Wind, and the girl beside him staring at him in worry. Wasn't this girl just called for Wind before? What happened after that? Wild trying to remember, then somethings click. “Oh, It happened again, wasn’t it?" He stared at the Sailor. That worry smile was enough to answer his question. "I'm so sorry, Wind..."

“There is no need to apologizing for that. Do you need to talk about it?" Wind tried to talk slowly and as calm as possible. Who knows if the memory will trigger Wild?

Wild become silent for a moment. His face scrunched as he tried to dig up the memory. “No. It was too blurry. I don’t even remember what was that.”

“Oh…” Wind didn’t know what to said for that. Wild doesn’t want his pity. He knows that well. So silent is the best option. He hoped that having company beside him will be enough help. Then Aryll tugging his shirt. “Oh yeah, Wild. We missed the introduction earlier. This is my sister, Aryll. And as I told you before, this is also Link. But we called him Wild.”

Wild looked at the young girl behind Wind’s back and give an awkward wave. He know what to expect. The girl’s eyes will starting to observe his face, his scars. He can blame her to see the scars and got curious. He already used to it.

“Your hair is so long and beautiful, Wild.” Wild blink for a second, surprised by the unexpected compliment. But then let out a small laugh.

“Well, thank you… Aryll, isn’t it? Sadly your brother always told me that my hair is too messy. It's nice to know that you are more considerate than him."

"HEI!"

“Oh! I can do braids!" Aryll said in excitement, ignoring her brother's complaint. "If you want I can braid your hair so it will not easily get messy. Oh, Please let me braid your hair, Wild! To be honest I wanted to touch it from the very first time I saw you.” Aryll started to jumping happily just by thinking about it. Her energy and how she couldn’t stay still was similar to Wind.

“Okay, you can talk about it later. He’s going to stay in our house anyway, so you guys will have plenty of time for braiding. But now we have to go home. Grandma and the others are waiting.” Wind pushed Aryll to move, letting her lead the way while Wind and Wild walking a few steps behind her.

“Hei Wind…” Wild whispered, quiet enough so Aryll wouldn't hear them. “Please don’t tell the other about what happened.”

“Why? We have to tell them why we took so long, you know.” Wind didn't like the idea of hiding the event to the other. He already planned to tell Time about it, so Time can help him to call Wolfie (He wonder why only Time, Four and Wild that can easily call the Wolf to come from nowhere). Every time Wild got a new memory, he will be more likely to have a nightmare at night. And Wolfie would be the one that able to calm him.

“Let just said that I took my time to collect the palm fruit. I don’t want to make a fuss over it. And I barely even remember what was in the memory. If you tell them, at least Twilight keep give me a stare until I talk. I’m not really in the mood for that.” Wild pleaded. Wind still didn't like the idea. But still, He knew how uncomfortable Wild will be to talk about something he didn't even remember.

“Fine. But I will have a bigger portion on whatever you made for the dessert.”

“Thanks.” Wild gave a relieved huff.

Wild kept his eye on Aryll. Just for a second, Wild somehow saw a different girl. Blue dress, but with white flower pattern instead of orange. Longer hair and older. But when he blink once more, he can only see Wind’s sister calling them to walk faster.

He wasn’t sure what that was.


	2. The Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Boys were enjoying the beautiful Outset Island, until they didn't.

_"Link!" A girl ran toward him. He was a bit surprised by the sudden weight when the girl hugged him, but with a small step backward, he was able to hold the girl without falling backward._

_"I'm so glad that you are fine. I heard about the monster attack that increased lately and I am worried about you!" The girl continued with muffled sound as her face was still stuffed in his tunic.  
He quickly tried to broke free from the girl's hug and she seemed a bit offended by his action. But soon she realized why._

_Link's stoic face was now painted with a faint blush as his eyes darted into his right. Where a beautiful girl with blue royal dress stood, Eyes full with grace._

_"P-princess! Forgive my rudeness for not realizing that you are here." The girl quickly sank into a bow as she realized the presence of Princess Zelda._

_"It's okay… no need for formalities. I'm sorry that I dragged your brother everywhere until he didn't get a chance to go home." Princess Zelda gave a small bow to the girl. Link can imagine how the King will get Aneurysm when he saw the princess bowing to a mere villagers. But the two girls in front of him seems to know each other well, as both broke into laughter.  
"It is his job after all. Yet, this dummy didn't even think about writing us a letter! Dad was worried, you know?" The girl stared at him, pouting. No matter how much she tried to look more mature by growing her hair, with an expression like that, Link will always saw her as his tiny little sister._

_"Princess, are you in a hurry? I heard about the pilgrimage to the Spring of Wisdom that will be started soon." The girl's attention turned back to the princess.  
"No. Well, yes we will have to leave tomorrow to start the pilgrimage. And after that, we might get busier but…" The Princess gave a sneaky smile at him. "I know that Link hasn't visited his own family for a while and the only way to let him come here is if I came as well. So I told my father that I will visit Purah to get some information about the divine beast. While I am busy, your brother is yours again for today." _

_A wink from the princess to the girl, and within a second the long-haired girl was beaming with a smile. She jumped and hugged the princess like it was nothing and screamed cheerfully.  
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Princess!"  
Uh oh. Link somehow could hear the King screaming right now inside his head._

_"I don't care how close you two are. She is still the Princess of this Kingdom. Mind your attitude." He finally spoke, knowing the horror of the image if the King found out how his own sister was treating a Royal blood. He was glad that there are no other soldier that came with them to reported this to the King._

_"Oh, Link! I told you already! Don't make a fuss over this. Just enjoy your impromptu holiday and be thankful for it." Princess Zelda shoved him playfully and walked to the direction of Dr. Purah's laboratory before turned around halfway and shouted " I’m not doing this for Free! I demand a feast for dinner, O my courageous knight!"_

_Link raised a thumb up as he and the girl laughed. When the Princess no longer in sight, the girl tugged his sleeve and smiled. "let's surprise Dad!" She said in a loud whisper before ran into a house. His house._

_"Slow down or you might fall, …."_

_**Huh?** Link wanted to call his sister. But for a second he didn't remember her name. That's odd. Of course, he remembers her name. Her name is…._

~~~ 

"Link!" A small hand shook his shoulder, forcing Wind to open his eyes, and greeted by a very close face of Aryll.

"What? You are old enough to go to the toilet without me, right? I'm tired…" He groaned and tried to sleep once more. But with a slap to his arm, he woke up again with a clearer mind than before. At least clear enough to paid attention to Aryll's words.

"No, stupid! It is your friend, Wild." Aryll quickly covered her mouth when she realized she was too loud, made some of the Light sleeper's guests woke up. Most of them ignored them and went back to sleep.

Wind sat up from where he slept. His mind wasn't fully working yet. Why Aryll was in his room? Oh yeah… yesterday she wanted to know about everyone's adventure and they ended up making a sleepover party in his bedroom. And what did Aryll said just now? Right, Wild.

"What happen with Wild?" He asked with a hoarse voice. Throat still dry since he just woke up.

"He is talking in his sleep. I'm a bit worried. " Aryll threw a gaze to where Wild was sleeping. Time who slept beside the Champion already sat beside him and Wind could see Twilight eyes were open even he stayed inside his bedroll.

"Aryll…" Wild voice was quiet. But in a silent night like this, Wind could clearly hear it.

"Did he just called you?" Wind eyes met with Aryll's. She nodded.

"She kept saying my name. I woke up because I think he called me. But no… he just keep sleeping."

"You played with him 'till late. I think he was tired and now he thought he was still playing with you in his dream. It happened sometimes to me." Time said as his hand stroking Wild's hair slowly like a father to his child.

"I'm sorry…" Aryll whispered, directed to either to Wild or Time. " But Wild have a lot of fun story to tell! I want him to teach me how to ride a bear!"

"No!" The statement Aryll said made Wind and Time speak at the same time. They don't need Wild to inspire another child to do his crazy stunts. They've watched the parents at Hateno went crazy after their children got some 'lesson' from Wild.

A small groan alerted them. Their voice seems to be loud enough to woke Wild up. He winched, seems like only half-awake but aware of the people that sat around him.

"Sorry to wake you up. It's nothing, Cub. Just go back to sleep." Time kept stroking Wild's hair until the Champion relaxed and nodded.

Before he fully back to sleep, Wild lifted his hand and groggily patted the back of Time's hand. " Sorry for not coming home sooner, Dad. I'll send you a letter about our progress at the Spring of Wisdom when we finished. This time for real…" He gave time a tired smile before quickly back to sleep, leaving three heroes and one little girl shocked.

"Did he just called you his Dad?" Twilight turned to lean on his stomach, still not leaving the bedroll but now his head faced Time.

"Yes? I… I'm not sure. He is half-asleep." Time looked at the Champion who now slept with a smile on his face. He knew that the boys called him Old man and saw him as a father figure of the group, but he still didn't expect that Wild mistook him as his father. "Did he remember about his family?" He asked Twilight, who only shook his head. Was Wild dreaming about his family? Time couldn't help to clench his jaw by just imagined about it. Not able to remember your own family was bad enough. But to remember them in your dream and probably had no recollection about it when you woke up is another level of cruelty.

"Did Wild forget about his family?" Aryll's voice made the three heroes remember that she was still in the same room and heard them all.

" Um... He lost them a long time ago, so he doesn't remember them." Wind quickly explained. He was not really lying about that. Just not really explain the detail. And, it was easier to tell Aryll that way.

Gladly, Aryll looked satisfied with the explanation. She crawled next to Wild sleeping form and patted his long hair.  
"There, there… I'm sorry that you lost your family Wild. I also don't remember my Ma. But I still have Link and Grandma with me. Link go adventuring a lot. But Grandma stays, so even I got lonely, I never got to be lonely alone." The sincere voice of his sister made Wind feel bad for leaving her, even though he knew he couldn't control Hylia's decision to wrap them into another Hyrule anytime soon. "Oh, I know!" Aryll smiled and leaned closer to Wild's ear. "I'll let Link be your brother too. Link will travel with you, right? You will not get lonely if you are with Link!"

With that words, warmth bubbled inside Wind's chest. He quickly gave Aryll a hug. He knew the other Links also feel touched by his sister's sweet action. He even saw Legend trying to suppress a smile even as he pretended to be asleep.

"I'm sorry. I should ask you first… I forget." Aryll leaned her body more to Wind's. 

Wind shook his head. Proud was the only feeling he felt right now. "No… It's Okay. I'm sorry if leaving you makes you feel lonely. And thank you for being so kind. Of course, I'm okay to be his brother too." 

"You have a very big heart. Not everyone willing to share his brother's love to others. But you did. That was amazing. Thank you Aryll." Twilight patted Aryll's head and Time nodded proudly, made the girl blush.

"Now, let’s go back to sleep. If we want to go fishing in the morning, It’s better if no one woke up with bags on their eyes.” Time clapped his hands. He gave each of them a good night and a smile before everyone returned to their bedroll. “You too, Legend.” He said with a smirk before laying down to his own bedroll.

“Sure, Pops.”

~~~ 

The next morning, everyone was excited as they held an impromptu fishing competition at the deck. Everyone, except Wild, who was banned by Wind due to his extreme fishing method. He was sulking before Aryll came like an angel and save him from his boredom by offering to braid his hair while Wild made a flower crown for her. Little did Aryll know that she didn’t only cheered Wild up, but also saving the entire population of outset from a dangerous gremlin by taming him.

Legend saw Twilight, who watched over Wild from his fishing spot let out a relieved huff as he saw Wild laughed happily with Aryll. He then nudged the ranch-hand arm with his elbow since his hand was still holding the fishing rod.

“Did he remember what happened last night?” Legend asked in a whisper.

“I don’t know and I won’t ask him if he didn't make the first move. But I will tell you in case he talked about it. But based on his attitude right now? No. I think he didn’t.”

“Still, You better keep an eye on him for a while, cowboy. He probably fine for now. But We won't know for sure for the future.” Twilight gave Legend a good nod. Despite his snarky attitude, Twilight knew the Veteran was observant to the other. and if Legend told him to keep an eye on someone, he’d better do so.

"But," Wind, who was eavesdropping on their conversation couldn’t stop himself from participating in the talk. “But, it did not look like a bad dream, right? I mean he might just have dreamed about his time with his family. It is sad, but I’m happy every time I dreamed about Ma and Da.” 

Legend was going to say something, but their conversation was shortly interrupted by a movement on Legend’s lure. The Veteran was caught off guard and pulled the rod to fast, letting the fish that got caught swim away, just to be caught by a single seagull that flew into Legend’s side. Legend let a watery chuckle to the seagull and spoke to Wind.  
“It wasn’t just a nightmare that can haunt you and drown you in depression circle. Sometimes, good memories do too. You wake up from a nightmare and found it was not real? You can feel relieved. When you dreamed about something good, something makes you happy? Waking up from one and realized that it was just a dream is more painful to process than a nightmare.”

Even though Legend spoke with a very neutral face, even Wind could catch on how his voice was a bit shaky. “Is there something we should know about that kind of dream, Legend?” He asked carefully. He didn't want to pry other's secrets. But if he could help to overcome Legend's sadness, he will do anything.

“Not yet, Sailor. Maybe one day, but not now.” Legend's eyes darted to the seagull that stole his fish. If not because of the triumphant yell from someone behind him, he almost could hear a song he knew too well somewhere in the wind.

“Seems like we got our winner.” Twilight said to Legend as he let a whistle to Warriors who proudly held a giant trout on his hands and asked Wind to take a pictograph of him with the pictobox.

“Let’s give the chef good news about today’s lunch." Warriors spoke up just as Wild and Aryll ran into their direction.

As Wild and Aryll came closer, the group could see that they each wore a colorful flower crown. And Oh, Wild! Wild’s hair, for once, was neatly braided, without a single twig nested on his blond locks. Aryll really did an amazing job, and surely had an unlimited patience to be able to mend Wild’s messy hair. She braided Wild’s sideburns, and a few more braided locks fell smoothly from his now tight ponytail. Aryll even added a few decorative feathers that made Wild somehow… royal. Sure, it made his scars became more visible. But Wild didn't seems to bother it. It was the opposite, even. He was happy and seem confident with his new hairstyle.

“Who are you and what did you do to the arsonist I know?” Hyrule gave a naughty smile as he pointed his rod to Wild’s neck before both of them snorting. Wild let Hyrule touched his hair and being amazed by how it beautifully done. The other also couldn't help to observe the transformation of their Cook. There were compliments here and there, mostly directed to Aryll who smiled proudly.

“How can the forest gremlin become… this?” Warriors gesturing one of his hand to Wild. “Young lady, Are you sure your name is not Princess Zelda?” He teased. Wild made an over-dramatic frown and gasped.

“Seriously? War, we both know that you just envy me because I got to be pretty and there is no way your short hair can be as gorgeous as mine.” Wild snatched the fish from Warriors’ hand and flipped his hair on purpose and slapped Warriors face with it. Warriors let a small cry as Wild’s hair getting inside his eyes and the others just laugh on him.

“Wait! Does that mean I can be part of the pretty squad?” Four raised his hand, stared at Wild and Aryll with wide eyes that had glints of red.

“After lunch, please? I couldn’t handle all of this cooking on my own. And you are the only one of these people that can cook without creating malice from it.” Said Wild, who held Aryll’s shoulder before she jumped right away to Four. She and Four nodded as they prepared for lunch.

~~~ 

To sum it up, the lunch was awesome. Fresh ingredients, unlimited herbs, and spice from Wild’s slate and a touch of Wind’s grandma helps made the food more amazing than their usual meal. All of them now just relaxed in front of Wind’s house with a stuffed stomach.  
Aryll was just finished to braid four’s hair when suddenly a portal popped up in front of them. All of them groaned in distress.

“And we just relaxed for one day!” Sky stood up even he didn’t want to. Every single of them knew the drill. Packed their stuffs, and enter the portal as soon as possible if they didn’t want any monster came out from the portal and making a mess. Wind quickly say goodbye to his grandma and Aryll. But when they ready to leave, Aryll didn’t let her hand go from Wind’s.

“Link? Are you leaving?” _Aryll leaned to the door frame. A blanket still covering her shoulder, protecting her from the cold morning weather._ No. Aryll was still holding Wind’s hand. It was hot in Outset Island. It was noon.

“Yes… I’m sorry but I have to...” Wind rubbed Aryll’s hand and gave her a sad smile.

“Don’t go? Please… I’m scared. I... I need you.” She begged with watery eyes that barely able to contained her tears.

_“I’m sorry, Link. I just… I keep getting a weird dream lately. I’m scared. It gives me a bad feeling.”_

“Aryll, I’m a hero. And I’m going with another eight heroes by my side. I’ll be fine. Don’t cry…” Wind was trying his best to hold on himself. He wasn’t going to stop right now. He couldn’t. Not even for Aryll.

_Yeah, the other Champions are with me. And the Princess too… We will be fine. Don’t worry. Don’t cry._

“But, what if you didn’t come back? I keep worried if that happens. What if you leave just like Ma and Da?” Aryll cried as she hugged his brother.

_“I watched you getting hurt in my dream. I watched you and I can do nothing. What if one day you didn’t make it? And you’ll leave us alone?”_

“I don’t want to lose another person, Link.”  
_“I don’t want to lose another person, Link.”_

Wind didn’t know what to say. His sister was trembling and crying. He was holding his tears as well. He just didn’t want to cry in front of the other heroes. He was scared too when he had to watch Aryll got kidnapped. He knew the horror. But if he stayed longer, it will only bring harm to everyone, including Aryll. What could he say to calmed his sister down?  
He was still thinking, when someone kneeling beside him, gentle hand rubbing Aryll’s head.

“Aryll… Look at me.” Wind never heard Wild’s voice become so soft and full with affection like that. It successfully made Aryll raised her head from Wind. “I know you will miss your brother. And you worried about him. So…” Wild stopped for a moment before gave a reassuring smile to Aryll.

“Let’s make a promise.”  
_“A promise?” Aryll let a small chuckle but kept her eyes steady on him.  
“Yes, a promise.” _

“I promise you that I’ll make sure Link can safely return to Outset. I will protect him. He is strong. But I will not let anything harm him. He will definitely come home for you.” He recited his word slowly yet firm. The words seem like engraved in his memory.

_“I will definitely come home for you.” He said that before? To someone._

“Really?” Aryll sobs slowed down. He looked at Wild with eyes full of hopes. A flash memory stroke him. Just a figure. A girl with long golden locks looked on his eyes with hopes and trust.

“Yes. I will never break this promise. I swear to the three goddesses.” Wild gave Aryll a grin, made the girl laugh. _She always said that his grin was silly. But it worth her smile._

“Okay. I believe in you, Wild. It’s a promise, then.”  
_“It’s a promise, Link. I know you will never break a promise.”_

Aryll gave another hug to Wind. “Take care, big brother.”

“Of course. Don’t worry and wait here. Take care of Grandma for me, okay?” Wind replied Aryll’s hug before gave a nod to the group. One by one, they entered the portal.

Wind walked beside Wild through the portal. He poked the scarred hero and whispered. “ Thank you for saying that. It calmed her. And me as well. You sure are good with kids.”

Wild gave him a smile, but somehow it feels sorrowful. "Don’t worry. I told you, I would never break my promises. Not this one, at least.”

He missed it when Wild continued 

“Never again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for taking too long for update.  
> People said that quarantine gave you more free time. But for me, it was disaster!  
> My Thesis stuck and I have no idea what to do with it.  
> Got a lot of stuff to do and no motivation to follow :')
> 
> The outline for every chapter was actually written.  
> I will try to write more and update faster for the next chapters.  
> I.will. try...


	3. Argument

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They arrived at Wild's Hyrule. But not everything happened according to their plain.... Actually, Wild's plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure where to end this chapter and ended up merging two chapter into one.  
> So... enjoy this longer chapter :)

As soon as the scenery of the vast world appeared in front of him, Wind quickly recognized who’s Hyrule it was. There were faint smells of sea lingering in the air, but not strong enough to cover the smells of the woods.

“Are we near Lulerin?” He asked. It wasn’t the first time they came to Wild’s Hyrule. Wild quickly checked his slate. He smiled and nodded.

The last time they came here, The group was having a great time at Lulerin village. Wind himself was having a blast. He was ecstatic when he found out another Hyrule also has a sea, even not as vast as the great sea in his era. His inner pirate just yelled and begged to touch the shore once more, even though they just came from Outset a while ago.

“Can we visit the village?” He quickly begged to Time, trying his best to give the old man his puppy eyes.

Time scoffed at him and went to check the map on Wild’s slate.

“About a one day trip to Lulerin. Wild pointing the location from the map. “We can take this route and we will arrive tomorrow at noon. Shall we?”

“Well, I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t.” Time answered. Which resulted in Wind yelling a whispered shout ‘Yes!’. “But… “ He continued with a smile. “The sun will set soon. I don’t want to take a risk to travel now. We don’t want to repeat that accident with Stalkobin by traveling at night. We go tomorrow.”

“Aww.. you are not fun, Time! We still have a few hours before the sunset.” Warriors elbowed the older hero. “Besides, we’ve done nothing at Outset. We still have a lot of energy left. Let’s just go as far as we can.”

“I agree. There is no stable around here. And this particular area is not safe. We have to find a better place if we want to build a camp.” Wild added. The others also added a shout of agreement.

Time furrowed his brow as if he was judging the decision. Looking to each one of them like he was judging if they really were not tired for another hour of trekking. “Fine… But only until dusk. Maybe you guys are fine. But these Old Man bones couldn’t follow your pace all the time.” The others just gave him a disgusting grunt. There is no way they believe that from the one who swings the Biggoron Sword so easily at any time. He barely needed his golden gauntlet and everyone was sure that he just kept wearing it because it looked cool.

Wind walked right beside Wild who was leading the group. He hate long walk, and Wild's Hyrule was definitely the one he hate the most thanks to how vast it was. But the scenery was mesmerizing. His eyes wander to the animals and plants that he never saw before. Occasionally, he will pull his pictobox and take some pictures. Wild also helped with his slate. Saying something about the compendium that needed to be completed for his Zelda. They were talking happily about some flowers when Hyrule suddenly shouted.

“Guys! Watch out!”

They quickly turned their head, only to be greeted by dozens of arrows flying, ready to rain on them. They swing their swords in reflex, trying to knock as many arrows as they could. It was something you have to be thankful for when you travel with a whole bunch of well-experienced people. They responded quickly. Yet that doesn’t mean they didn’t make any mistake.

Wind was just about to check on everyone else when another batch of arrows flew directly to him. He didn’t see those arrows come. He knew because suddenly he was thrown to the ground. A hand restricted his movement and a long blond hair with tangled braid covering his vision. He could see arrows on the other hero’s back.

He was frantic as he heard a few other ‘thud’ and Wild let out a suppressed whimper.

“Wild!” He screamed and struggled to be freed from Wild’s hand. But Wild’s hold on him was surprisingly strong. Another arrow. This one directly hit the Champion's arm. His grip on Wind’s shoulder became stronger as he hissed in pain.

“Shh… stay still.” He told Wind with teary eyes. There was no way Wind stayed still. He did not come with them to just be protected. And he didn’t want to do nothing when his friend got hurt. So he pushed the Champion aside with all his might. And Wild let him go as Warriors' voice came closer.

“All clear!”

“Guys, are you okay?” Sky quickly went to Wind’s side. Worried featuring his face. The other looked fine and only got a few scratches. But then Wind’s mind was back to Wild.

“I am. But Wid is-” 

“-Fine…” The very hero cut him. He sat with one of his arm supporting him. No blood on his tunic except from a single arrow on the other arm. The arm that protected Wind.

Wind felt relief overwhelming his body as he saw Wild showing his wooden shield with a grin on his face. Five arrows stuck on that very shield.  
“I’m glad that I forgot to take my shield out.” He shivered when he observed his shield. “It would be nasty without this thing on my back.” 

“Who knows that bad habits of yours save your life, huh? But that is dangerous, you stupid!” Twilight slapped Wild’s head and quickly started to treat the wound on his protégé arm.

“Sorry…” Wild hissed. Then he looked at Wind who still stared at him with wide eyes. “And sorry for making you scared too.”

“You’d better be. I’ve told you, I can protect myself just fine!” Wind crossed his arm, disappointed. He won’t admit that he didn’t see the arrows coming. If not for Wild quick (yet reckless) action, he won’t be left unscratched. But that doesn’t mean that the older heroes could keep protecting him from every single danger. He already got his scars from his adventure. At least he wished that his companion would give him more faith.

“But seriously. What the hell with that attack? They just shot arrows at us and ran?” Legend back from wherever he was. Probably checking the source of the attack.

“There are no high places around here. No trees. And no cover. So they must not be far from here when they attacked us. But we didn't hear any sound before we saw the arrows. I Never heard any monster that good at stealth.” Warriors analyzed. “Do you have any idea about the attacker Wild?”

The questioned hero kept silent as his eyes focused on the arrows that scattered around him. 

“Wild?” Warriors called him once more.

“Huh? Yeah? Sorry, what?’ He panicked.

“I say,do you have any idea about the attacker?”

“No. Yes, I mean No. I mean I know who it might be but I don’t know for certain.” He quickly answered. The words slurred as he spoke too fast. Wind reached out his shoulder to calm him. Wild flinched by the touch but quickly relaxed himself when he saw Wind’s worried face. “It was the Yiga. I think. These arrows are theirs.”

They already heard about the Yiga Clan before. When Hyrule told them about the minions of Ganon that hunt him for his blood, Wild told them about a similar case in his Hyrule. The difference is, Hyrule got cursed and his blood does have the power to resurrect Ganon. But in Wild case? He was just being hunted for what the cult believed. With no proof of whether it was true or not.

“Does that mean we have to cancel our plan to Lulerin?” Four asked.

“I think it is better to cancel the plan for now. They use arrows, which can hit others easily if we go to civilized areas. Better avoid the crowd until we settle things with them.” Time answered. He gave a sorry look to Wind as he shuffled Wind’s hair. 

If Wind felt a bit disappointed by that, he won’t tell. As a hero, he knew that much precaution must be made to ensure the safety of innocent people. Especially when he knew that this Hyrule didn’t have a big civilization. Every single death and birth is crucial to this land to grow back to its former glory.

“We still can go to Kakariko? They tend to avoid the Sheikah. So I think it will be safer there. It’s far. But if we are not going to Lulerin, I think that was our only option. We can also seek Impa’s help for the information of this mysterious power that keeps teleporting us.” Wild offered.

“Kakariko it is then. But it is dangerous to walk further. Let’s find a place to rest for the night, and we can continue to travel early in the morning.” Time declared, and nobody objected. The adrenalin from the sudden attack already left them and now they were all tired.

The night went uneventful. They had dinner and talked casually for a while before Time called it a night. They decided to do a watch rotation with two people per shift, just in case, there was another attack. Wind was on the last shift, which was a mercy compared to the second shift. But when Wild woke him up, he was still sleepy. He took his time to rub his eyes and clear his mind. When he was at least awake enough to observe his surroundings, he found Wild was sitting on his bedroll, reading some kind of paper on his hand.

“What is that?” Wind asked while still winching his eyes.

“Nothing important. I think you need to wash your face first, Sailor. You won’t be able to watch for us if you are that sleepy. There is a river nearby. I’ll take you there.” Wild threw the paper on his hand to the fire and grabbed Wind’s hand to help him stand. “Vet, I’m taking the sailor to the river. You okay by yourself?”

“Sure. Just don’t wander around after that. And you need to sleep after that. I don’t want the ranch-hand blame me for your lack of sleep.” Legend, who was on watch with Wind shooing them from where he sat. 

“Suuure” Wild rolled his eyes before leading Wind to the river.

Just as they walked, Wild threw his cloak over Wind’s shoulder. “It’s cold. Don’t want you to catch a cold.” Wild explained when Wind gave him a confused look. Wind was a bit hesitant, but he decided to accept the cloak and thanked Wild. The extra warm really helped.

After Wind got his super cold splash from the river’s water, they returned and Wild bit him and Legend a good night before went to his bedroll.

“What’s with the cloak?” Legend asked when Wind cuddled closer to the fire.

“He lent it to me. Why?” Wind gave Legend a questioned look when Legend kept staring at him.

“Hmm… Nothing.” 

"…"  
"..."

“It is too big. You dragged it as you walked.” 

“Ugh, shut up! At least it’s warm!”

*** 

When the sun rises, Wild and Time wake up earlier than the other heroes. Time quickly walked to join Legend and Wind while Wild started to prepare breakfast as usual.

“Anything happened during the watch?” Time asked them.

“Nope. Just this kid turned into a burrito inside Wild’s cloak.” Legend snickered and pointed Wind with his thumb.

Wind stuck out his tongue to Legend, which just made the veteran snickered more. Time just gave them a small smile and shook his head.

“Guys!” Wild called them from where he cooked. “Wake up the other, please. Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes.”

The three of them quickly stood up. Wind stretched his body before walking toward Wild. He undid the cloak and gave it to the long-haired hero. “Here. Thank you for lending this.” But Wild just looked at the cloak and then to Wind. His hand stayed on where it was.

“Keep it. The temperature is still a bit low. I have a cold-resistant cloth. So I’ll be fine. But you don’t have any, aren’t you?” He continued stirring the soup before giving it a test. His face scrunched then he took another spoonful and offered it to Wind. “Help me. What do you think?”

Forgetting about the cloak, Wind took the offering and sipped the soup. “I don’t know. I know something is lacking there. But I have no idea what it is.” Wild then added a handful of flowers that Wind never saw before. He stirred the pot and offered another sip to Wind. Wind’s eyes widened as the soup suddenly tasted better. “What is that?”

“Warm safflina. It’s a medical plant that increases cold resistance. I think it will help since we will be traveling early today.” He smiled and gave another stir to the pot. The aroma slowly spread to the whole camp that it made the other hero come closer, invited by the smells of the food. Wild quickly poured each bowl with the delicious soup and gave it to each of the hungry men in front of him.

“I have to admit. One day, you will reach my grandma level.” Wind smiled as he sipped his soup happily.

“Wow! Finally, Wind admitted our chef had hard work!” Sky laughed and raised his bowl. “For the hard work of our resident cook that finally paid off!” The other followed him and cheered as they raised their bowl, while the wild child just kept sipping his soup as his ears turned red.

“Now, now. Stop teasing the chef and eat your food. Today will be a long day.” Time finally spared Wild from the teasing and the group continued their breakfast in silence, spare for the smile and whisper from the younger Links.

After they finished cleaning the dish, they started to continue their journey to Kakariko. They went back to their usual formation. With Wild and Wind at the front, Hyrule and Legend right behind them followed by Warriors, Four, Twilight, and Sky while Time stayed at the back to watch over everyone. They walked until the sun was right above them and the weather became hotter. A few complaints about the weather can be heard from the squad behind Wind. Warriors even take off his scarf to reduce the heat. Wind followed his step and undone Wild’s cloak once again before folding it on his hand. Wild stopped his step and stared at him with disappointment on his face.

“It’s hot, Wild.” Wind answered with a deadpan face. “I’m already sweating and I don’t think the cloak does any good with this weather. Thank you for lending this yesterday, but I think I’m good.” 

Wild didn’t answer right away and averted his gaze to the other heroes. “I see…” He answered, more like to himself because all that he did was a whisper. “Then do me a favor, will you?” He continued with a louder voice, but still lack of emotion. “Go walk beside the Captain.”

“Huh? But why?” He asked. Yet Wild just quickly grabbed his cloak from Wind’s hand and put it inside his slate.

“Just do it.” He gave Wind a quick pat on the shoulder and quickened his pace so he was a few steps in front of the Sailor. "Don't get to close to me."

He left Wind who just stood there, confused. WInd let the other Links walk passed him until he was by Warriors side.

“What happened?” The Captain asked. But Wind didn’t know the answer to that question.

“He… became irritated because I gave him his cloak back?” Wind scratched his head. “I don't know. He is weird.”

Wild continued his silent treatment to Wind even after hours left. Every time Wind trying to get closer, Wild would either walk faster or slower and avoiding any eye contact. But Wind could see a couple of times where Wild would take a glance at him before quickly turning his face back to the road in front of them. And It wasn't like he was in the bad mood either. Wild talked to Legend and Hyrule just fine. It annoyed him that Wild didn’t even bother to explain the reason why he suddenly gave Wind cold shoulder.

“What’s wrong with him?” Wind started to become irritated. His voice was somehow loud enough to make the whole group flinched and looked at him. Except for Wild. Of course he ignored him!

Wind huffed and decided to be the adult between them. He tried to tone down his temper by observing his surroundings. Nature will help to calm him down, right? He read that once in a book. His mood lighten up when he saw a shiny bug fly to the bushes not far from the group. He hesitated at first, because they were still moving. But then his curiosity won. It won't take long. He quickly ran to the bushes to catch the bug.

He was so close to catching it. Just needed to clasp his hand and the bug is his. He even considered giving it to Wild as a gift (because Wild needed a lot of bugs for his elixirs), so Wild could forgive him for whatever reason he got mad. But then a hand quickly grabbed his. It pulled him backward until his muscle screamed in pain by the sudden movement. He stared at the person who held his hand.

“Wild! It hurt!” He yanked his hand out. But Wild didn’t let him.

“Don’t walk away like that! I told you to stay by Warriors side!” Wild yelled. Wind rarely heard Wild yelled. His voice was hoarse since he didn’t use it that often.

“I am not! I’m not even five meters away from the group! Let go of my hand!” Wind started to trash to free his hand.

“My World is dangerous. We don’t know what waited for us. So just stay with the other for the goddesses' sake! I promised your sister that I will keep you safe but why can’t you just help me!” Wild raised his voice even more.

“My World is dangerous as well and I survived, Wild!" The other hero started to surround them. Trying to calm them down. But Wind didn't give a damn about it. "I am adventuring with a bunch of pirates! Across a deadly sea! I know what danger is! And don’t ever bring Aryll into this.”

“But this is MY World! You don’t know a thing about this place!" Wild used his free hand to rub the bridge of his nose. He lowered his voice as he continued. Yet somehow the thing he said was just make it more irritating. "Please... I just want to make sure everyone is safe. Including you. I know you are well experienced. But you shouldn't make your family worried by keeping doing something reckless.”

"You? Talking about reckless behavior? Say it to yourself! Don't you dare to teach me about my family when you don't even have one!" The words came out before Wind could stop himself.

Wild quickly released Wind’s hand like it just electrocuted him. He clenched his hand and put it close to his chest and quickly took a few steps backward. Wind could heard a gasp from someone behind him, his guess was Hyrule. And he was hit by the realization. He looked on the other heroes' faces that now looked at him in horror. 

“Wi-Wild… I-I’m sorry I didn’t mean that…” Wind took a step closer to the scarred hero. He really didn’t mean what he said. It just came out without a second thought. It didn't even make sense to what they were arguing before. It's just pure anger. Wild took a loud inhale as he stared at Wind, fiercely. Wind was ready if Wild was going to yell back at him, punched him even. He deserved that. He bowed his head and closed his eyes, ready to take the blow. But nothing came.

He slowly opened his eyes. In front of him, he saw Wild just gave him a sorrowful grimace and pulled him into a tight hug. And time felt like it just slowed down. Wind did not even dare to take a breath. He was confused by the shaky arms that hugged him. Why? Why did Wild do this? He tried to call the Champion. But the word stopped on his throat. He tried to hug Wild back. But his hands limped on his side. He stayed still until Wild released the hug. He was not crying. But those eyes are full of sadness.

Wind wished that Wild would just punch him on the face. Because this left him with more pain than he expected.

"It is a bit early. But let just stop here for today." Wild talked with a shaky voice as he avoided Wind's eyes. It was a plea, and the other obeyed. They even quickly built two fires at two different sides that were too far away from each other and set another bigger one in the middle. They know the Champion will need his own space unless they want Wild to run to the forest to seek solace.

Legend dragged Wind to one of the small fires, on the opposite side of where Wild is. Legend sat him down, put Warriors scarf around him and gave him a side hug by putting his arm around Wind's shoulder. Wind didn't bother the fact that Legend suddenly become so caring. He took a quick glance at the other side of the camp from the corner of his eyes. Wild sat there, resting his head on Twilight shoulder. Hyrule sat on his other side, rubbing his back.

Wind felt something fall into his stomach. He knew that family is a talk that was somehow avoided by them. Because most of them don't really have one. Wind was lucky. He still has his grandmother and sister. Legend lost his uncle, the only family he had when he was young. Time didn't have any but finally created a new one with Malon. Twilight never knew about his family but he still has his adoptive parents. Sky was raised in the academy. Warriors too, but he once told them about a twin sister he rarely met thanks to the long war. Four were raised by his grandfather. And Hyrule and Wild… He didn't want to even think about it. Both had no one they could call as family. 

"I said terrible things. Not just to Wild. To all of you." He finally said.

"You sure did." Legend quickly responded. Wind scuffed. Leave it to Legend to tell you the truth no matter what.

"I did not mean it." Oh, his voice is shakier than he expected.

"Of course you are not. You just got hot and you talk before you think. We knew. We all understand." Legend pulled Wind closer. And Wind leaned more to the Veteran.

"Even Wild?"

"Even Wild. He was just a bit shocked and he needed time. But I'm sure he understands.” Legend gave him an assuring smile. And Wind was thankful. Legend always speaks the truth. If legend was that sure, that Wind would hold to that hope. Yet he is still scared. He remembers how his grandma always taught him to say good things to people, and mind every word that came from his mouth. Because if his words hurt someone, he might lose the bonds forever. It will be a stupid way to end up the relationship he built with Wild. It would also be awkward to stay in this group if they can’t fix this soon.

“Hei, Don’t get so gloomy! It’s not like we never argued before. It's just a bit unfortunate for us that this group is filled with stubborn people that lack the ability to communicate." Legend shook Wind's shoulder and pulled a paper from his pocket and handed it to Wind. "The kid is stupid. So I will answer your question for his sake. This is the reason why he is acting weird around you today."

Wind observed the paper for a while. There paper smells like ash and fire. One of the edges even turned black as it completely burned. Then something clicked on his mind. "This is the paper Wild had yesterday? The one he threw to the fire?"

Legend nodded. "I picked it before it completely burned when you guys left. Go read the content. " And Wind did.

_Welcome back, Champion.  
We missed you.  
But don't worry, soon, we will meet once again.  
We already spread the news to the whole clan.  
That the hero who wears a blue tunic returned, and soon his blood will be in our hands. _

Wind gulped. The Yiga sent a threat to Wild and none of them except Legend realized it. Suddenly Wind became too aware of his own tunic. Blue, like the sea. Like the sky.  
Like Wild's.

"If the yiga was stupid enough to get distracted by bananas just like what Wild told us, then I'm sure they might be stupid enough to mistake the champion just by the color of his tunic. He lent you his cloak so no one will shoot you because of that blue tunic of yours. I’m not that good of an archer, but you aren't always able to see clearly who is who from afar.” Wind felt stupid for not realizing this sooner. “And when he had no more reason to make you wear his cloak, he sent you to where the one with the sharpest sense, the quickest step, the fastest swordplay and the smartest mind gathered. Those guys simply become a living fortress for you." 

"Why didn't you tell us?" Wind let a frustrated growl.

“I wasn’t sure of myself,” Legend admitted.

Wind felt way more than frustrated by now. “Why didn’t he tell us?” 

"Told ya. He is an idiot. There is a reason why Hylia gave us the triforce of courage and not wisdom. The hero of courage is just another way to call a reckless idiot."

"Saying that means you are an idiot as well, you know?"

Legend snorted. "Of course I am. That's why I'm staying with this group. If I'm not an idiot, I had been leaving you all month ago." 

Wind can’t help the smile that started to form in his face. He felt better.

"Do you think… we can fix this?"

"Of course. Tell him how you feel. Tell him what you thought. And asked him to do the same." Legend shuffled his hair and pushed him up. “Now, go. I’m hungry. You better convince him to cook dinner. I don’t wanna eat any dubious food tonight.”

Wild just giggled by that before he took a deep breath and looked at the location where Wild was. "Thank you Legend. And, I’m sorry for saying such a bad thing before."

*** 

Wild just leaned his head to Twilight's shoulder while his eyes kept staring at the flickering fire. He knew that he was being difficult right now. But every time he wanted to say a word his chest hurt like hell. He didn’t blame Wind, of course. But he also didn’t have that much courage to face him right now. What an irony for the hero of courage.

Hyrule came a moment later and sat beside him. Great. Now he made another person worried about him. No, he was sure that everyone was worried. They always cared so much. Too much.

He took a deep breath before finally looking at his mentor. “I’m sorry…”

“For what, Cub?” Twilight looked at him with a confused look.

“I can’t help being upset. I know he didn’t mean it. But I'm still upset.”

“There is nothing wrong with being upset. That’s normal.” Twilight grabbed Wild’s hand and rubbed it’s back in a circular motion with his thumb. “But you shouldn’t bottle everything by yourself. What happened? We only saw you screaming to each other when a moment ago you were talking like usual. We wanted to help, but we can’t because we don’t know the story.”

“I think… I annoyed him. I kept him in the dark, of course he was mad at me.“ Wild huffed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t tell anyone. I think I can handle it just fine. But apparently, I was not.”

Twilight and Hyrule just listened. Waiting for him to elaborate more. He licked his hip and continued. 

"They- at the attack yesterday, they sent me a warning. Found it at one of the arrows." The way his two friends’ ears twitched told him that they knew who was the ‘they’ he talked about. "They warn me that they'll attack me. They warn me that they’ll attack the hero with the blue tunic. And they attack at range. I don't know which one of us that they aimed at. I mean, I'll be fine. I've faced them several times. Heck! I even went to their base and stole all of their weapons! But Wind didn’t. And they might miss which one is me. And Wind might have hurt. And-" Wild started to breathe too fast for his own liking. He knew, but his lungs felt like it just shrank and it was so difficult to breathe.

“Hei, hei. Breath… Calm down. We get it. You are just worried about him.” Hyrule put his hand on Wild’s cheek. It was cold against Wild's face. When his friend calmed down, he pulled his hand back. “But seriously, Wild. That is something you need to talk to us.”

“I know… I was foolish.” Wild let out a wet chuckle. He questioned himself on why he kept it a secret. He should have trusted his comrades more. But somehow he got scared. He just realized the burden of having people that got him attached. He never felt this way when he was alone. Now he was afraid when his friends got hurt. He was afraid when himself got hurt and made them worried. The more he got attached, the more he got afraid of something. He tried his best but everything backfired at him.

Twilight caught how Wild's eyes started to dazed as he drowned on his own thought. “Listen, Cub. The fight is not yours alone anymore. If you think that they will be dangerous not only for you but also Wind. We will help to protect both of you." Twilight hugged his protégé gently. Resting his chin on Wild's head. Letting the Champion lifting his weight to Twilight's.

"I can't forget his words, Twi... It hurt. I tried to ignore it but I can't." Wild's hand clenched on Twilight's tunic. His breathe heavily, holding his sob. "It hurt more when it came from him."

“It is okay if you are upset now. It is okay that you make a mistake. You regret it. Wind regrets it. I’m sure Time will scold him later for that. I’m not asking you to forgive him right away, but please try… He actually cares of you just as much as you do to him.” Twilight patted his protégé's back, then looked at the other hero that quickly looked away from him. “You too, Hyrule.”

“Wha- It’s not about me!” Hyrule baffled.

“I know the reason why you decided to join us. Don’t lie to me. And don’t lie to yourself either.” Twilight repositioned himself so he was right in front of Wild and Hyrule. Pulling both of their heads into him. “You guys are still young. Please express yourself more. Do more mistakes, and learn more.”

The two younger heroes got quiet. Trying to collect their thought in the embrace of Twilight, quite literally. The sun was set in front of them. Twilight didn't let go of them until the last light disappeared from the sky.

"Be strong. We can't replace your family. But at least let us be your brother-in-arms. You are my dear friends and brothers. Please don't forget that." Twilight whispered softly to their ears.

“Geez... Who are you? Time the Second?” Wild huffed. But the smile on both of the younger heroes’ faces made Twilight decide to let him go with that.

The three of them enjoyed the silence of the early night until they heard a footstep from behind. Wind was standing there, looking to the ground but slowly raised his head.  
“Wild, Can we talk?” He quietly asked.

Twilight and Hyrule looked at Wild. When Wild nodded to them, the synchronized stood up and went to where the other heroes gathered.

“Hei, Sailor. Come and sit here. It’s cold.” Wild weakly smiled and patted the space beside him. Wind groggily obeyed. Wild already had enough awkward silence for the day so he decided to start to speak. He looked at the paper that still clenched in Wind's hand. _he knew._ “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to not trusting you or anything. I’m just too scared to open up.”

“No… I’m sorry too. I said terrible things. You don’t deserve that.” Wind started to kick the pebbles around his feet to the fire. “But please don’t baby me. I’m fourteen. I'm old enough to take care things by my own. And don’t ignore me without telling me why. I’m fourteen. I still get upset easily on a lot of things.”

Wild smiled and leaned his body closer to Wind. “Twilight just told me that it's okay to get upset. I am upset too. So, we are even?” 

“Yeah… It started to feel stupid to fight like this.” Wind smiled and cuddled to Wild. This time, Wild didn’t flinch. Wild just put his hand to Wind’s hair and hummed a very nice melody Wind never heard before. 

“Can I ask you about something?” Wind decided to ask. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. But… Do you ever miss your family?”

Wild stopped his humming and staring at the sky. “I don’t know. I don’t really remember any of them. So I can say that I miss them. You can’t miss someone that you never know.” He answered with a sad smile on his face. “But at least I know that they were gone. And no matter what I remembered, I can’t see them anymore. At least it still makes me sad. I don't know if i miss them. But I knew that knowing that they are not here anymore upset me." Hearing that, Wind just hugged Wild tighter. 

"Don't worry, Sailor. It was in the past. I moved on. The nightmare of my past scared me, yes. But I lived for the present now. Zelda told me that I have to live myself the life i wanted to and left no regret. That is the only way to pay the other champions and everyone that died before us, she said." Wild eyes suddenly lit. "Oh, I remember one thing that still related with my family!” Wild quickly raised his body.

“What is that?” Wind got curious. Wild rarely talked about himself, so this was a rare chance to listen to it.

“It's a bit vague. But I remember that I used to send letters to my father when I was in the knight academy. Zelda said that my father used to be a knight too. But he retired when I joined the knight. I got busy and sent him fewer and fewer letters. I promised him a letter just right before the calamity came. I don’t think I sent that letter. I feel bad about that. I don’t really like the fact that I broke my promise to him. And I won’t be able to fulfill it now. Since then… I decided to not make any promise I can’t fulfill for sure.”

“Oh… So that is why you…” Wind accidentally slipped and quickly covered his mouth. But Wild caught him saying. He furrowed his brow and stared at WInd suspiciously. “Er...Actually… when we were at my home… you do sleep talking about that and thinking that Time is your dad.” Wind confessed.

“Wait. For real? Gosh!” Wild quickly covered his reddened face with both of his hands and Wind had no other choice than to release Wild from his hug so the Champion could curl to himself. “That must be awkward! And I don’t remember it!” Wild then quickly looked at Wind with a serious face. “ Should I apologize to Time?”

Wind was trying to suppress his laugh from seeing how serious Wild is. “No, I don’t think so. He looked rather pleased when you called him like that.” Soon he realized that was not helping the Champion as he turned into a darker shade of red. “Does your father look like Time that you mistook him for your dad?” Wind couldn’t help to tease Wild more.

“No Idea. But I hoped that he would. Stern but also kind. I think I’d love to have a father like Time.” Wild’s face was still red, but this time is more due to his fondness for the leader of their group.

Wind question was answered more than enough, so he decided to changed the subject. “So, what about the promise you made with my sister? A promise you have the confident to fulfill?” 

“Oh… that one is different. I made that one because I have to.” Wild stopped there and just gave him a mysterious smile as he winked.

“You gonna leave me with just that?” Wind pouted. And Wild just shuffled his hair once more and laughed happily.

***

They stayed until late. Someone on their group somehow decided to cook dinner without Wild when they still talking and creating something Wild dubbed worse than the calamity. So they decided to leave them by their own and snacking on nuts from Wild's slate. Wild once again humming the same tone he hummed earlier, and Wind listened as he laid his head on Wild’s lap and let Wild stroking his hair. But suddenly Wind stood up, almost hitting Wild’s chin in the process. Before Wild asked him what’s wrong, Wind quickly put his index finger to his mouth.

“I saw some fairies!” He whispered and pointed to the bushes near them.

“Should we collect them? We got no fairies left.” Wild offered. They agreed and slowly crawled to the bush. Wind was ready with his bottle and just like Wild with his slate. But when they came closer, Wild realized that the shiny lights were not fairies. Wind was confused by the not-fairy creature.

“It’s fireflies. They are common in my Hyrule.” Wild quickly caught one of the fireflies with his hand and showed it to Wind.

“Well, at least they are pretty. How about put it in the bottle and show it to everyone?” Wind poked the firefly on Wild’s hand and giggled as the firefly flew to the sky.

“Why not? Lend me one of your bottles. I’ll help.”

….

“Hei! I did it, Wild! I caught one!”

“Really? Show me! show me!”

“Aww… This is not a firefly… This is just a fairy…”

“WIND! THAT IS THE ONE WE ARE SEARCHING FOR!”

“Wha- OH SHOOT!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you are young, sometimes small fight with your friends haunted you more than anything. Like, the world ended with that.  
> And then with a simple sorry and thank you, everything fixed like magic!  
> .  
> And don't worry, they catched the fairy after stumbling so many times.  
> .  
> And I can't thanks you enough for all the comments and the kudos. It really make me happy :)  
> Please tell me your opinion about this chapter!


	4. Ambush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Impa sent them to Hateno to seek the help from the Princess.  
> But sadly the Princess wasn't there. 
> 
> The heroes, were forced to wait.

The journey to Kakariko was surprisingly safe after Wild finally explained everyone about the threat he got from the Yiga (and of course, he got scolded by most of the gang). They decided to let Wind and Wild change into a different tunic. Wind wore the old green tunic he used on his adventure and Wild changed into a red tunic. Warriors even agreed to keep his scarf inside his bag for the sake of Wild, who started to overthink that his blue scarf might also cause him to be targeted.

As soon as they reached the village, they were escorted to Impa’s house by the guard and they explained their situation to her. Wind was a bit surprised that Wild’s Impa was an old woman that barely could stand on her own. Her wrinkled face and the small body was just like every single opposite thing Wind saw in Warriors’ Impa they’ve met before. Yet her eyes still showering every single one of them with wisdom and care.

“When you suddenly disappear, Those traitors pop up like mushrooms after the rain. I’ve heard some reports of attacks lately. They target civilians and seek information about your location. I was glad to know that you left by Hylia’s will. I thought it was Hylia’s way to keep her hero safe.” Wind could hear Time’s sarcastic snort when Impa talked. He was sure Impa heard that as well, but she acted like she didn’t. “But now, since you are back, I’ll do what I can to ensure your group’s safety. I’ll send the sheikah to patrol to make sure none of the Yiga is around.” Impa then wrote something on the paper and handed it to the girl that sat beside him. Wild said her name was Paya. Paya nodded as she received the paper and excused herself. “And for your other problem, I’m afraid I won't be able to offer any help. But I suggest you seek the Princess. Either your meeting with the past heroes was something to do with the goddess or something evil, her power and knowledge certainly will help you better than mine.”

“And… where is the Princess? We… um, we saw that the castle is still under… repair?” Hyrule asked sheepishly.

“She is at Hateno, probably,” Wild answered. “Unless she went to inspect the ruin elsewhere.”

“The last time she sent me a letter, she planned to go to Gerudo Town. But it is better to ask my sister. I don’t know when she decided to leave.” Impa quickly raised her hand when Wild opened her mouth. “Don’t worry, Link. She will be escorted by the Sheikah. And even Buliara will help them from Kara Kara Bazaar. Even if she leaves already, I advised you to stay in Hateno for a while, Heroes. Don’t go to the desert. If the Yiga now targets you, not only will you bring harm to yourself, you will also bring that very danger to the princess. Stay in Hateno and wait. I’ll send you any information I gather.” That successfully shut Wild up, even though he was still frowning.

“Fine.” He huffed before turning his body to the others. “Let’s go to Hateno before dark. We can rest at my house.”

___

As most of them expected, Flora was not in Hateno. She just left that very morning. Wind started to think that being unlucky is one of the traits to be considered as the Hero of Courage. So they just spent their time at Hateno, doing nothing.

“So… It is not like our time here is limitless. Are you sure we just staying here with nothing to do is a good thing, Old man?” Warriors leaned his back to the wall as everyone gathered around the table. Another portal can popped up anytime, anywhere. There was no guarantee that another portal to another Hyrule, their instant ticket to avoid this Yiga people, already appeared somewhere in this Hyrule.

“Can I consider that you are saying I’m limitless as a compliment-” Time paused as Legend threw the nuts he had from across the table to his face, followed by a disgusted grunt from the rest of them. “I know it is not productive. But at least we can stock our needs and be safe. We can just relax...”

the door opened with force.

“And stiff. We can just relax and become as stiff as redead. We have been here for three days, and I have to admit I also have the urge to just go to the forest and hunt some monsters with these gremlins.” Twilight entered the house with Four and Hyrule in tow. He glared at the two of them, then to Time. “They planned an 'adventure' to the forest. Again.”

“We are not! We are just seeking for the Champion!” Hyrule rebutted.

Legend walked toward them and took a peek to the outside. “And where the Champion is?”

“At the village border. He is waiting for the Sheikah informant.” Twilight gritted his teeth as his eyes directed to somewhere beyond the hill. They all knew why.

Since they arrived at Hateno, Wild will always stay at the border and wait for a sheikah that comes every day to updated the information about the Yiga. Even for these three days, they got no new info related to them. Wild became much more restless and quiet. He left the house after preparing breakfast, stayed at the border until lunch, maybe talked to Bolson for a while then left again until the sunset. He went back and make dinner and sleep late at night. Based on his dark eyebags, Wind was sure that Wild just tucked himself under the blanket and was not really sleeping.

_“Call this instinct or whatever. I don’t have any clue but I feel that something bad will happen if we let them any longer. They became more aggressive, Twi. Their attack patterns change. This is not the Yiga I know and defeated.” Wind heard Wild speak to Twilight in whisper last night after Twilight forced him to the bed._

“Well, I agree that our body started to become stiff. So how about a spar?” Sky broke the silence and picked up a sword, made by Four so Sky can do spar without being burned by The Master Sword. He got the rest of them to smile and agreed. They all need to free themself from boredom. So they walked to a clear area not far from Wild’s house.

“I’m going to call Wild to join us. _Yes, Twilight I won’t run to the forest again, promise. Don’t give me that look._ ” Four insisted.

“I’m going with you!” Wind raised his voice more that he planned to and caught up with Four who were already running. Wind would love to do some sparring right now. But he didn't like the fact that he was trying to had fun when one of them clearly was not okay. Time told them that Wild just need some time alone, but Wind know that being alone sucks. 

It wasn’t difficult to find where Wild is since it was easy to recognize his long hair. He sat on a rocky surface and leaned his back to a tree. His eyes were focused and dazed at the same time, looked like he just staring into something that was just too far to reach.

“You look like a real one hundred and seventeen years old right now, you know?” Four sat next to him, and Wind sat on his other side, sandwiching the scarred hero.

“ **I am** one hundred and seventeen.” He gave a small chuckle. _Good. At least he still wanted to talk._

“Those guys are going to have a sparring match. Do you want to come and join?” For asked. Wild just shook his head weakly. “Still waiting for the Sheikah?” He shook his head once more.

“They just left. No news. I just wanted to stay here for a while to clear my mind.” Wild eyes stayed on the blades of grass he just picked from the ground. “I’m sorry." He paused. "For being stubborn.”

“We all **are** stubborn.” Wind justified. Wild just gave him a small smile and went back to silence. Not that Wind or Four minded, but letting Wild in his now over-worried mind won’t bring any goods. He also looked very tired. He kept the braid that Aryll made, but as it had been days, his hair was messy and most of the braid was already tangled and loose. Then he got an idea.

“You kept the braid.” Wind pointed at Wild’s hair.

“I like it. But I can’t do it myself, so I think of keeping it as long as I can.” Wild blushed. His hand reached his sideburns and twirling it with his finger.

“If you don’t straighten it out, it will turn into a messy nest of knots and will be a pain in the ass to fix.” Wind pouted and moved so he was behind Wild. “I’ll fix it for you. I’m not as good as Aryll but I can do simple braids.” Wind raised his hand, asking Wild permission to touch his hair. Wild nodded.

“I’ll help too.” Four stood up from where he sat and joined Wind. And so they began to untie the braid carefully. Wind was happy that Wild was willing to let him braid his hair. Tetra once told him that applying pressure to the head continuously will make them sleepy because of the nerves or something. Wild needed to sleep, and Wind would make sure he did. 

His plan was a success because not long after that, Wild started to relax. He blinked slowly and nodded a few times, but was still too stubborn to let himself sleep.

“How can Aryll do this with ease?” Wind pulled Wild’s shoulder so he leaned more to his back. He did this not only to make Wild sleep but somehow he got so into it, he wanted the braid to come out perfect. But to replicate the tiny braids that Aryll made was more difficult than he thought. His fingers were not flexible enough to do it.  
Four realized about it. He left Wind and Wild for a moment before went back and tapped Wind’s shoulder and raised one of his hands while his index finger on the other hand pressed to his lips. Wind smiled as he saw the creature on Four’s hand.

The Minish!

“ _They want to help too._ ” Four signed. The minish quickly jumped to Wild’s hair and let out a chirping sound. Wild must have felt it when the minish moved above his head because he turned his head, but Four quickly stopped him before he saw his hair flying and braided on its own. “Don’t move!”

The minish did a very good job with its tiny hand, and it helped them to braid Wild’s long hair faster. Four and Wind left the tiny detail to the minish as they did the bigger part, trying their best to hold their laugh when the minish started to cover its body with Wild’s hair like a scarf. Good thing the Champion already lost his focus, so it didn't turned suspicious.

“I’m curious. Why did you grow your hair? I’ve seen the picture of yours from before the calamity on your slate. Your hair was also long, right? Not this long, but still long enough for a ponytail.” Four decided to open a conversation.

“Simple reason. So you can braid it.” Wild answered lazily.

“Ha! You didn’t even know us until five months ago.” Four rolled his eyes.

“...I’m serious…” Wild’s words were slow. A good sign that he started to lose the fight to stay awake.

“Well, whatever the real reason is, I’m fine with that. You have nice hair.” They finished the braid and Four now combed Wild’s hair with his fingers. The minish now sat on the top of Wild’s head.

“... I think… yours is more beautiful…. Straight and soft to touch…” Four immediately turned into as red as a tomato when Wild said that. He unconsciously reached for his hair and put it behind his ear.

“T-Thanks? I didn’t expect that kind of compliment from a boy. I’m… happy? I don’t know!” Four stuttered and Wind was sure that he saw a glint of blue on Four’s eye. “Anyway about Wild’s hair. You’ve spent so much time growing it. It is too bad you are too lazy to take care of it. They basically turned into a forest miniature.” Four stuttered.

Wild made a shocked face and put his hand above his heart. “That’s actually hurt. I’ll put peppers into your dinner!” He jested.

“What with the peppers?” Four looked at him, confused.

“You hate it, right?” Now Wild’s was the one that got confused.

“Um… no. I don’t mind peppers.” Wild suddenly went silent by the information. His expression was unreadable. But he quickly straightens his poise and smiled awkwardly.

“... Sorry. I mistook you with someone else. Her hairstyle was similar to you when she was younger so…” Wild rubbed the back of his neck, clearly showing discomfort and confusion.

Four got curious and asked. “Who?”

“Um… Princess Zelda? … No, I don’t know her… her childhood. We met… when she was sixteen. So, no...” Wild clutched his head like if he pressed it harder he would find the answer he was searching for. His face was not showing any sign of pain, but still made Four and Wind worried.

“Are you okay?” Wind asked carefully. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. Let's just back to your house and you can rest for the day.” He stood up but Wild quickly grabbed his hand.

“‘M not tired. Can’t sleep.” Wild declared. Yet his body betrayed him because he clearly just wobbled to the side.

“You. are. tired.” Four stared at Wild with determination on his eyes and Wild stared him back. They had a minute of staring contest before Four declared his victory when Wild grunted.

“Even if you can’t sleep, how about just lay here for a while?” Wind patted his lap, and Four pushed Wild before he complained.

Wild was true to his words. He didn’t sleep. He rested his head on Wind’s lap but his eyes kept staring at the scenery in front of them for hours. They didn’t mind the silence. Hateno was a calming place and even though they were quiet, the sound of life from the village just behind them made everything feel peaceful. At least Wild wasn’t as tense as before. His body was more relaxed, so it was still a win for Wind.

“She was someone that lived in this village once.” Wild suddenly talked. Wind looked at him and saw his blue eyes were a bit fogged. But he said nothing until Wild continued. “The girl that hates peppers. Zelda told me that I grew up in this village. I think the girl is someone that lived here too.”

Four and Wind looked at each other. They were not sure how to respond to Wild. Whoever that girl was, she was a trace of Wild’s past that he didn’t remember, and just with that fact, it already left a bitter taste on their mouth. Wild let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. He wasn’t expecting any response from the younger heroes. It was just a fact that will soon be forgotten once more. The three of them knew that.

Their silent moment finally ended when Legend came, drenched in sweats, obviously lost to Warriors based on how pissed he was, and called them for dinner. The three of them quickly followed him just like nothing happened.

___

Wind woke up in the middle of the night because it was too cold. At first, he just wanted to go back to sleep and ignore the chill, but when he saw the reason for this cold, the window on the second floor was opened, Wind pulled his blanket to cover his body and walked upstairs, closing the window and sealed the evil wind that was disturbing his sleep. He was about to go back when he saw a few papers on Wild’s desk. Some of them scattered on the floor, probably blown up by the wind earlier. He picked up the papers and put them back to the desk. That was the moment he accidentally read the content of the paper.

Those papers were letters. The contents were different from each other, none of them were finished except one, some even didn’t have any content at all. But they had one similarity. All of those letters had the same recipient. Wind took the only letters that were completely written. It was such a simple message.

_Dear Father,_

_Forgive me that I still had no memories of you.  
But I’m doing fine._

_Link._

Wild was still trying to send letters to his late father. Just like how he promised to. He kept his promise he broke before. Wind slowly put the letter back. He suddenly remembered his sister and his grandmother. Aryll always sent him letters, but he rarely did the same.

Wind went back downstairs but with a new purpose. He knew that he still had some paper and ink.

___

Wild couldn’t sleep. He was tired, but no matter how hard he tried, his mind refused to rest. There were a lot of things that happened in a short time. The Yiga, The portal, and this memory of his. Since he went to Wind’s Hyrule, he dazed a lot. A fragment of memory came back without any clear context and left him confused for the rest of the day. The worst part? He didn’t even really remember what it was. He was happy when earlier that day Wind and Four helped him to relax. Yet there was still a tingling feeling creeping inside him that signaled danger. His body was screaming to leave as soon as possible, but he knew that it was dangerous, no matter how strong his teammates were.

And Zelda won’t come back soon. Curse her nerd soul! She must be taking her time to explore the ruins there. Even the Sheikah sent her the news that he was waiting, without the slate, it would take days to reach Hateno. They were trapped inside the village waiting for her arrival. They had trapped inside the village thanks to those Yiga that kept roaming outside. If it was only him, he would leave days ago and just confront that banana cult. But now he realized the weight of the others' existence. That him being hurt will hurt them, and them being hurt will hurt him.

Wild decided that he needed some fresh air. So he opened the window near his bed and climbed up to the roof from there.

“Yo! Welcome to the ‘I can’t sleep dammit’ club!” Legend's voice almost made him let go of his hand from the roof. On the top of his roof, Time, Hyrule, and Legend were already relaxing with cups of tea on each of their hands. “Hope you don’t mind that we steal your tea from the kitchen.” He raised his cup and sipped it.

“I’m worried about how this roof didn’t collapse yet more than the tea.” Wild gave them an annoyed look but still joined them. There is no way Wild doubted the strength of a house built by Bolson Construction. “What’s up with you guys?”

“As we said, can’t sleep. Legend and Hyrule got a duet in the Nightmare concert and I was foolish to try the coffee at the Inn this evening and now I'm high on caffeine.” TIme explained as Wild sat next to him. “How about you?”

“Overthinking train had made a transit inside my head.” Was the best answer he could say to describe his problem.

“I see…” Time gave him an understanding look that made him melted a bit. He shared his blanket with Wild and they stayed there, watching the stars and talking about random things.

“Long ago, I wished for a normal life where I could just relax in a peaceful town with no problem with monsters and evil powers. And here I am, getting a chance to taste how it feels like, yet itching to go on an adventure.” Hyrule threw himself and laid on his back with hands raised, reaching for the stars.

“You feel that too? I thought it was just me.” Wild looked at Hyrule with a stupid wide smile. Hyrule gave him the same smile and they fist-bumped, with a whisper ‘Gremlins’ from Legend.

“My head was full of stuff I'm not sure about earlier. But It disappears just by watching you guys making a nest above my roof. What kind of magic is this?” Wild gave a dramatic hug to Legend, making the Veteran screeching like a defeated bokoblin.

It was true. Just by sitting next to Time, knowing that his friends were here, that they were also fighting for each of their problems yet still trying to help each other, suddenly made the memories that haunted and troubled him as well as his worry about the Yiga disappeared into nothing. He found comfort. 

“Sometimes I can see shooting stars from here. Maybe we can watch it? I’ll take some snacks and make my own tea first. It is not fair that all I can do is just to hear you sipping your tea aloud.” Wild said after they sat there for a while. Legend requested for the nuts that he kept on his dining table. The window to the second floor was closed. Maybe someone closed it. So Wild had to climb down and re-enter his house from the front door.

He opened the door as quietly as he could, so he wouldn’t wake up the others. But in the dark of his house, there was a tiny pink light on the corner of the room. A fairy inside a bottle.

“Wind?” He whispered to the Sailor that was writing something and using his fairy as a substitute light. “What are you doing?”

“Oh Hei, Wild. I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep. So I decided to write a letter to my sister.” He answered and showed his letter to Wild. Wild heart warmed by Wind's sweet act. The fairy inside the bottle also didn’t seem to mind helping Wind. She was rather curious about the letter. “Oh, Wild! Do you have something that special from your world? Something I can put inside the letter?” He asked.

Wild was thinking for a while before something popped in his mind. “I know something. Come with me.” He remembered he kept one inside his bookshelf. He tiptoed to the bookshelf and picked up a thick encyclopedia he got from Zelda. Wind followed him and took a peek from his shoulder.

Between the pages, he slipped a pressed Silent Princess as a bookmark. The color of the flower preserved well and the shape was still good.

“It is the Silent Princess. Once an endangered species on this land.” Wild proudly explained.

“It’s pretty!” Wind’s eyes sparkled as he saw the flower. “ But… are you sure? Now I feel that it is too precious for me to take. I think if you let me sketch it, Aryll will be satisfied enough.”

“No. You can have it. It was an endangered species. But now it grew well in the wild. In fact I had a few more.” Wild insisted and put the flower on Wind’s hand. Wind held it carefully like it was made from glass and whispered him thanks. Wind returned to his letter when the room suddenly blurred.

_After he was finally able to stop the princess from shoving the frog to him, The Princess's curiosity went back to the flower with blue and white petals.  
She said the flower name is The Silent Princess. He saw this flower somewhere else before. A pattern of the dress ‘she’ loved so much._

_“You won’t understand why I love this dress! Look at this flower pattern! This flower is special, Link. Bet you don’t know what flower it is, right? This flower is a rarity on the Land of Hyrule.” She once said when Link complained about how she used the same dress over and over._

_The Silent Princess. He finally found the flower’s name. He quickly pulled out his notes and started to sketch the flower. He’ll shove the sketch to her sister and show off on how he saw the real flower with his own eyes._

_“I don’t know you have a talent in drawing, Link. Your sketch is quiet detail.” The Princess was suddenly beside him when he was busy with his drawing._

_“She has a dress with The Silent Princess pattern. She once mocked me because I don't know the flower’s name. So I want to tell her that I finally found out the name. I can’t take the flower with me, so I think a sketch will be enough to satisfy her.” He explained shyly with his raspy voice._

_“She?” The Princess tilted her head._

_“Yes, my…_

“Wild?” The room returned to normal. Wind called him and showed his letter. The Silent Princess already glued at the bottom of the letter like a fancy border. “What do you think?”

“Perfect.” Wild gave him a thumb up. Wind smiled and hummed happily as he admired his own work once more.

“I’ll tell her that this is from you and- HOLY SHIT! LEGEND!” Wind jumped as he looked at the window. He made an expression that can only be described as a combination of shock, fear, and curiosity.

Wild followed his gaze and saw that Legend's face was on the window, upside down while he mouthed “Wi~ld! My Nu~ts! Hurry~”  
And made both Wind and Wild laugh.

“Some of us decided to watch the stars. Wanna join?” He offered his hand to Wind.

“Sure!” The Sailor accepted with a grin on his face.

___

Legend walked like a zombie when he left the forge. The lack of sleep finally affected him. He was in charge of stocking arrows and fixing their weapons with Four. Time and Twilight went around the village to get some info while Warriors and Sky went to stock foods. They left Hyrule, Wind and Wild stayed at Wild’s home to help Wild brew some elixirs. A message was slipped under Wild’s door this morning, saying that the area around Hateno and Kakariko is safe from the Yiga, so at least they could travel a bit. That was the very reason why this morning became a restock day.

They were on their way to meet up with the others when they saw a commotion near the village border. The nature of being a hero kicked in so fast that they were already running toward the crowd without even thinking.

“What happened?” Four asked the nearest person.

“Some people were attacked last night. The other two were fine. But the Sheikah man did not survive.” A woman with brown hair explained.

When they heard the word Sheikah, Legend automatically shoved themself to the crowd to check the identity of the people that got attacked. Four saw Time and Twilight walk toward them. But before he could explain the situation, Legend cursed and stormed from the crowd to Wild’s house, full speed with his pegasus boots.

He left with the rest of them confused. But they were not confused for too long. Because as they saw the victims of the attack last night, they too, ran toward Wild’s house. Their comrades were in danger.

___

Hyrule just returned from washing the cooking pot at the pond. He put the pot back to its place and thanked Karson and Bolson. He then joined them, sitting near the fire.

“Thanks rule! Here is your reward.” Wild offered him a glass filled with some kind of tea that had a sweet smell to it. Wind and the construction team were already enjoying their own cup.

“Thanks, Wild. What is this?” He tried to appreciate the aroma first. It was really nice and relaxing.

“Oh, this one-” Wild paused as he saw Warriors and Sky walking toward the bridge. “Guys! Come here! We got some nice tea from Bolson!” He waved at the two of them.

Warriors and Sky waved back at him and crossed the bridge. And everything happened at once.

He saw Legend run toward them, pure fear on his face. He screamed, “GUYS! THOSE PEOPLE ARE YIGA!”

Wind suddenly collapsed to the ground. Warriors grabbed Hyrule’s collar and pulled him, he got choked by the sudden movement. He tried to free himself, but he got choked and he couldn’t breathe.

At least he just got choked for a few seconds and not being slashed into half by a sickle on Karson’s hand. No, Not Karson.

Hyrule saw Wild successfully securing Wind and jumped back before the Not-Bolson could land a hit on his head. 

Sky changed forwards with Master Sword in hand, yet the only thing that was touched by the blade was the air. The Now-Yiga teleported to somewhere else.

Hyrule heard a thud and saw the Champion fell with Wind still in his arms. Legend rushed to aid them but so did the Yiga. Legend’s fingers just barely touch Wind’s tunic when they disappeared into nothing.

The Yiga got two of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally another chapter!  
> I keep feeling not satisfied with the chapters. :/  
> But the show must go on~
> 
> \+ I'm trying to see how many chapters i can write without letting Wind cursing.  
> Today marked the day the urge to curse defeat me.
> 
> Thank you for all of you that took a moment to gave kudos and comments <3  
> Ilysm


	5. Captured

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wind and Wild got kidnapped by the Yiga.  
> But... the Yiga basically took two escapologist to their lair.  
> That was not included in their calculation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not dead!  
> And I have no excuse about this. I write this chapter like half a month ago and didn't touch it at all after that because I need to write for another project that took priority before this. Yesterday I checked my email and surprised to see the kudos and the comments you left for me. I Immediately rushed to finish this chapter because I just can't let you guys wait any longer.
> 
> Enjoy~

When he opened his eyes, he was welcomed with big blue eyes that were just right above his head. His mind was alarmed but his body didn’t think those eyes were dangerous. A soft voice called his name, “Wild?”

So he blinked once, before finally speaking in a whisper.

“Aryll?” His voice came out raspier than he thought. But glad for him that the girl, who practically leaned on the top of him, heard his voice just fine.

“Wake up Wild! We are going to play!” She jumped to the floor and started to run in a circle.

Wild pushed himself from the floor and looked at his surroundings. Empty bedrolls on the floor scattered on the floor. From the window that just by his right, he saw the sky was shining bright without any trace of cloud. It must be pretty late because the sun was high above already. Wild stretched his body before standing up and faced the still running Aryll.

“Where are the others?” He asked.

“M… Legend and Twilight went fishing, Time is with grandma, Warriors and Sky went shopping and Hyrule and Four are waiting for us outside.” She answered as her small hand tried to pull Wild to walk faster. Wild just giggled by her impatience act but obeyed.

“Aryll, please slow down.” Wild rubbed his still sleepy eyes with his free hand. But the tiredness did not disappear. His mind was still a bit fuzzy and being dragged by someone that half his size yet twice his strength did not help.

“No! We don’t have much time, so play with me! We have to collect seashells and build the biggest sandcastles!” Aryll intentionally stomped her feet to the wooden floor, trying to look angry (Which didn’t work. Wild thought that It was cute).

“Yeah I know, I know... “ Wild gave up and decided to let the girl drag him wherever she wanted to. “Both you and your brother are stubborn when it comes to sea-related stuff.”

That was when it finally hit him. Aryll abruptly stopped as if she could read Wild’s mind. A question was just right on the tip of his tongue but WIld was too scared to ask. Aryll turned around and smiled at him, but those smiles were too wide and too forced.

“Aryll?” Wild tried to speak even his heart now beating too fast and his throat was like being choked from the inside. “Where is Link?” His head was still filled with fog but slowly became clearer. Something was wrong here but he still could not figure it out. 

“What do you mean ‘where’? He is nowhere!” Aryll answered with her still too-wide smile. The answer and her expression didn’t match and it was honestly disturbing to see.

“Nowhere? But why? If we get separated this is not the time for playing. We need to find him. Since when he was gone?” Wild panicked and walked past the little girl toward the door. But when he turned the knob it was locked.

“Don’t worry. Links always do that. He left, went on an adventure but he always returned.” Aryll twirled around. “I am here so he will be back. My brother never leaves me alone for too long. He promised me that he will always protect me and grandma from the bad guys.”

Wild clenched his fist and tried to reason his mind. “Right. This is his home. Maybe he just went somewhere he knew. There is no way he got lost. He was strong and smart. He can take care of himself just fine.” 

**“Yeah… not like you.”**

Those words made Wild crunched his face and looked at Aryll, half praying that he misheard it. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

**“Not like you, Wild. Not like you who leave and never return. Not like you that told me you’ll protect her but you leave her to death.”**

Aryll laughed like she just made the funniest joke but Wild couldn’t feel anything but the pain from those words. _“Is this girl really Aryll?”_ Wild thought. Because the girl in front of him was not the one he saw on Outset. Not the one with pigtails and a blue dress. Not the one that always stood high on the lookout tower. _But why did he call her Aryll?_

**“Oh… I see! So that is why…”**

She clasped her hand together and turned her face to Wild. 

**“You are going to make him be just like you! You caused this and made him not able to come home. You caused this, and made me lose my brother.”**

“What? I’m not! There is no way I did that. Who are you? Where is Wind?” Deep down Wild felt that he started to hyperventilate but he could not control himself. The person in front of him walked closer and closer to him and in every step, she took her form became more inhuman. Wild wanted to run but the room disappeared and his back was blocked by an invisible wall. He couldn't smell the salty air of the sea or hear the sound of the waves anymore.

**“You just called my name…”**

“You are not Wind’s sister!” 

**“I’m not…”**

That person slowly turned into a weird glob of darkness that got bigger and bigger. Wild tried to shield his face as the globs came closer but it just kept overwhelming him until he drowned inside it. It hurt to breathe. His lung screamed and his head was like being pounded from inside out. Wild closed his eyes tight only to open it once more. He was welcomed with big blue eyes that were just right above his head.

A soft voice called his name, “Wild?”

* * *

Wind was pissed. For the Yiga that drugged him and for himself to easily fall for a simple trick like that. His body was paralyzed and even though he was able to move a bit, his movement was still stiff. After the Yiga knocked him and Wild off, he woke up with handcuffs on his hand with chains connected to it to limit his movement. Based on his observation, the Yiga locked them inside a small damp room with no light. The only opening was the iron door with ventilation on it. He leaned his body to Wild that was still unconscious because Wind had nothing else to do. Waiting for his body to fully regain the control and Wild to wake up was the only option he had.

It didn’t take long before he felt the body beside him moved. Wind tilted his head to see his friend. He hissed when he saw Wild's face winched in discomfort. Their group was not strangers to nightmares. They knew each others’ signs and the Champion clearly had one this time.

“Wild, wake up.” Wind tried to nudge him, as both of his hands were not available to give a proper shake.

With his shoulder barely touched the older hero, Wild jolted. His eyes were wide, frantically searching for something. His breath’s pace was uneven and it did not like Wild aware that Wind was right beside him. So, Wind tried to call him once more.

“Wild?” Wild turned his head so fast that Wind worried he might hurt his neck. When their eyes met, Wild suddenly lost all of the stiffness on his body and he went limp on Wind’s shoulder. “Are you okay?” He pressed his head to Wild, trying to give him something to ground himself. 

Wild took a deep breath, and another one before pulled himself and once again looked at Wind. This time, he was just like trying to observe every tiny detail he could find and that actually made Wind a bit uncomfortable. It took all of Wind’s power to ignore it for the sake of his friend.

“That was a very weird nightmare.” Wild finally spoke.

“Do you want to tell me more about it?”

Wild tilted his head for a moment. A tint of red-painted his cheeks when he answered, “I… kinda saw your sister turned into a monster because we think I lost you…”

Hearing that answer, Wind paused for a clear one minute and Wild’s face became redder than Sky’s loftwing when Wind finally laughed.

“That is super weird, right? But blame the dream. I had no control over it!” Wild pouted when Wind didn’t stop laughing.

“Well, certainly weird. But actually not unexpected. Aryll is scared when she gets angry. I can assure you that whatever you see in your nightmare is nothing compared to Aryll’s rage.” Wind shivered when he remembered how mad Aryll when he accidentally broke her seashell collection. That was a disaster he will never willingly see again.

Wild snorted and smiled. The trace of his nightmare horror was nowhere to be seen. “It’s kinda late, but… do you know what happened to us?” He asked

“All that I remember is that the Yiga disguised as Bolson and his friend, and both of us were drugged by their ‘tea’. One of them hit my head and when I woke up we were already tied in this very room like a prisoner.” Wind filled the information he had to Wild. The older hero then stood up and tried to walk as close as possible to the door to peek through the ventilation.

“I think I know this place. This looks like their hideout. Didn’t know they rebuilt it after I destroyed it on my adventure. There is a possibility that they built this one somewhere else, though.” Wild jumped back to Wind’s side and sat down.

“No, this is an old building that got renovated. Look at those walls.” Wind pointed at one side of the wall in their room with his chin. “That one was older than the other one. You told us before that they hide in the desert, right? This ground is definitely the type that is commonly found in the desert.”

“You can tell just by looking?” Wild asked curiously.

Wind just shrugged. “Being pirates means that you go treasure hunting all the time. You’ll get used to sealed tombs when you raid like, thousands of them. Learning the type and the ages is the key to find which tombs that got gold in it.”

“Okaaay…” That’s not an answer Wild expected but if it was Wind they talking about, every kind of crime suddenly sounds possible. “That’s cool, but please don’t tell that to Time or he’ll lose his remaining sanity.” They both laughed, almost forgetting the fact that they were kidnapped.

* * *

They were on their way to the desert that according to Twilight was where the Yiga might have taken Wind and Wild. They were walking at a quick pace without a word when the sudden grunt from Time made the rest of the group stop and looked at the Old Man.

“Relax, Time. They are both heroes. They can protect themselves just fine and we are on our way to aid them if they need us.” Four patted their leader’s hand and Time just grunted louder.

“They are a pirate and a survivalist that didn’t even realize their drink was laced with drugs. Here I thought that they would be the last person that would not notice something like that. I understand why Time got worried.” Warriors who led the group beside Twilight turned around and started to walk backward. “All of the relaxation time we got these days dulled our sense. After this, we need a more strict practice even when we don't encounter any enemies.” He announced just like how he did it to his army and got several groans from the group.

Time ignored the banter and closed his distance to Twilight. “How long will it take us to reach the hideout?”

“Two days if we just stop for restocking at Kara Kara Bazaar. Three if we sleep there.” Twilight answered with a surprisingly calm voice despite his protégé being in trouble. “Wild destroyed the whole clan by himself once. He’ll be fine. Try to calm down, Old Man. It’s not like you to be this giddy.” He continued when he saw Time's questioned face.

“I don’t know, Pup. Those are hylians. Not monsters. Their acts are more unpredictable.” Time rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. “I hate divine interventions, but I thought I heard them calling me just moments ago. It got me worried.”

“Gotta stop that ‘dad instinct’ of yours if you really want us to stop calling you Old Man, Old Man.” Legend snickered. “Don’t worry, if any of those weird masked dudes popped out before we reach the hideout, We will shove Hyrule toward them and let them take him for sure this time.”

Hyrule stared at his ancestor in disbelief. “You will what?”

“I said I’ll make the set complete. Too bad that Captain saved you. If not, they will kidnap the worst hostages set. You, The Cook and The Sailor will make those Yiga begged us to take you back. You three are the triple disaster of all Hyrule. I’m starting to question why we even need to pick them up.” This successfully made Time laugh a little. The younger team of this group is definitely an amalgamation of chaos.

“You said that. But you are the one that abused your pegasus boots power when we found out that the construction workers were Yiga.” Sky put his hands around Legend’s shoulder before continuing with a lower voice. “You softie…”

Legend's face now matched the pink of his hair. He rolled his eyes but didn’t do anything to object. The rest of the group laughed.

“Right. Maybe I have to worry more about how to apologize for the damage they’ve done when we arrived there.” Time muttered before they continued their journey. On the rest of their trip, Time tried his best to shove the weird feeling on his guts, praying that it was just him being overly worried. Another part of him started to wonder if that was really what Legend called ‘dad instinct’. He was not ready to admit that, even though it made him slightly happy. Admitting that his ‘dad instinct’ worked means he admitted the feeling that something bad was going to happen to his teammates.

* * *

“So let’s sum up our situation right now. We were probably in the basement prison. We are both tied. They took all of our stuff, including magical accessories. Twilight knew this place and probably leading the group to this place right now. The door is double-locked and even there is no guard in front of the door, there might be some on the hallway.” Wild paused and looked at Wind suspiciously. “You are a certified sailor, aren’t you? Don’t you get a hidden knife to pick the cuff somewhere inside your sleeve?”

Wind just about to answer, but before he said anything, they were interrupted by a loud bang of the door that opened. A yiga came in with a tray of foods and half-throwing the tray at both of them.

“You’d better be thankful that our master is still kind enough to not let you two starve.” If not for the mask, Wind was sure the yiga was sneering at them.

Wild scoffed and it made the Yiga look at him, “Thankful for someone that was too scared to show himself to us? To someone that decided that fight me face to face is too much and decided to kidnap us and hurt other people?" He snared at the Yiga.

“Talk all you want, Champion. It doesn't change the fact that your life is in our hands now. The blood moon will rise soon and that will be the cue for you and your friend's last breath." 

"He is not related to this!" Wild tried to lunge himself to the Yiga, forgetting about the chain that tied him. He ended up with his face planted to the ground with a hiss.

"Oh, how naive you are to think that we didn't know about your companion. We know he has no use for the ceremony. But with him here, we can prevent you from doing the unnecessary." The Yiga kicked Wild in the stomach before he moved toward Wind.

His hand tried to grab Wind's collar but Wind won't let them do as they like. Just one second before that hand touched his tunic, Wind quickly moved his body to fall to his side and use the momentum of his fall and kicked The Yiga on his face with his shin.

The Yiga screamed in pain. His mask that now broken fell to the ground revealing his white hair and red eyes of those who have the blood of the sheikah. Wind was satisfied to see that the Yiga's nose was bleeding.

"How naive you are to think I won't fight back." Wind, who grinned victoriously, just caused the Yiga to become more furious than before. His scream before caused two other Yiga to enter the room. And two against three is not a fair fight. Especially when your hands still cuffed.

They kicked and punched the two heroes, yelling something about disciplining prisoners. Wind and Wild fought back as much as they could. Biting, kicking, headbutting, anything their limited movement allowed. But both were still covered in bruises when the Yiga left them alone.

"Wind? You okay?" Wild asked from where he lied.

"I'm not. I'm pissed." Wind tried to push his body so he could sit in a more comfortable position and felt a burst of pain from his left leg. “I think I sprained my leg.” Or maybe fractured a bone. He kept that one for himself.

“Well, you shared my hatred for those guys. They might not be so smart, but all of them are stupidly strong.” Wild chuckled as he massaged his bruised arm. “The thing that you did was unwise. I do not recommend provoking them like that next time, but…” Wild let out a mischievous smile to Wind. “That face of his was epic!”

Wind joined the laugh even every time he giggled and made the pain flared. “Tetra taught me that move. She dubbed it as ‘a move to pissed off your enemies’.” They both laughed a bit more before going back to silence. Wind tried to sharpen his ear to make sure no guard was nearby and spoke, “Anyways, about your interrupted question. I don’t have any on my sleeve. But you, have some tucked in your hair, buddy.”

Wild ears perked up and his hand unconsciously reached the hairpin that tucked on his braided hair. “That trick really worked in real life? I thought it was just some traveler exaggerating stories!” A, well, wild smile adorned Wild’s face as he removed the pin from his hair and threw it to Wind.

“Well, the common hairpin worked with small locks, but not really for cuffs. That’s our smithy for you. Even his hairpins are stronger than the usual one. We have to interrogate him after this. I can only smell mischief from this too-convenient-for-lockpicking-hairpin of his.” With ease, a click sound can be heard from Wind’s cuffs and he raised his now-free hands above his head and mouthed a silent ‘Voila!’ to Wild. Wild just rolled his eyes and raised his hands so Wind could free him next.

“Now, our problem is the door. It’s locked from the outside so the same trick can’t be done.” After they both free from those shackles, Wind let Wild put back the hairpin on his hair, in case they need more lockpicking to do.

Both of their eyes turned to the abandoned foods on the floor. It was surprisingly untouched even after the fight that happened before. Wind reached down first and sniffed the food. “Yup, these were laced. Did they really think we would fall into the same trap twice?” 

Wild’s hand reached his before he slammed the whole tray to the ground. “I have an idea. But first, how long do you think you can fight just fine without food?”

“How often do you think sailors got lost in the middle of the sea without any food and yet still survive?” Wind grinned. “Tell me your plan, Cook.”

* * *

Fun fact about this adventure number 65  
Wild was surprisingly an amazing actor

They had their plan all set up. When they found that the foods were laced, Wild decided to use it for their side. They put the cuffs back on their hands and every time one of the guards came and gave them food (Which is like thrice a day, how generous!) they'll hide it behind a pile of straw mats in their room and act as they ate it. Wild continuously acted like a drugged man. Started with cursing each of the guards and gradually changed into incoherent mumbles. It was hilarious because Wind knew that Wild was completely sober. He tried his best to join the act but preferred to fake sleep most of the time because holding his laugh was already too much.

At least the plan worked as they expected. The Yiga started to ignore them most of the time and lowered their guards. He was confident that if they waited for one or two meal deliveries later, the Yiga won’t even expect their attacks from their backs.

But something else was bothering Wind. Other than the act when the guard was present, they didn’t have a lot to do in that cell. Wind found Wild sleeping most of the time, which is weird considering that Wild never slept much on their adventure together. Sometimes he would wake up with a gasp but said nothing afterward. Wind wouldn't pry if Wild didn’t want him to, but he would be lying if he didn’t get bugged by it.

It was noon (if his inner clock was correct), and Wild already drifted off almost seven times. Wind almost suspected that Wild really was eating the laced food or something but that was impossible since they threw the content right after the meal shoved to the cell. Couldn't find the answer, Wind just looked at the older hero and huffed. He decided to join the scarred hero and scooted closer to him for warmth.

Wild flinched as their skin touched and shouted in whispers, “Stay away!”

Wind quickly pulled himself back, surprised by the response but he still apologized to Wild. He knew that Wild might just be tired or giddy from all of this. An empty stomach does make people become more tense, after all. But it still hurt his feelings a little. He didn’t look at the other hero and just paid his attention to the dirty ground.

“Wind, I’m sorry. That’s not directed to you. I didn’t realize you were there.” Wild reached his shoulder and gave him a soft grip. Wind raised his face to see the guilt in Wild face. It was sincere with no trace of lie in it.

“There are only us in this room, Wild. Who are you talking to?” It was not a ghost for sure. Wind will be the first person to see it if there was one in this room. Wild didn’t answer and just avoided Wind’s eyes. But Wind didn’t want to let it in his mind any longer. “Wild, we already talked about this. Keeping it by yourself won’t do any of us favor. Tell me and let me help.”

“It just…” Wild pulled his bangs away from his face. He opened his mouth only to close it again like the words on the tip of his tongue didn’t want to be out. _‘I don’t really understand it either.’_ Wild signed.

 _‘I've got some new memories lately. But it was different. My memories usually came in the form of various scenes being played from my past. But this, this one is like a fragment of puzzles.’_ Wild curled his body into a ball before he continued, _‘it came in and out but I can’t figure out what this memory is about. It started to annoy me because I can't keep my focus on anything.’_

Wind just nodded. He didn’t really understand and Wild knew he didn’t. There was no way he would understand something he never experienced. But he tried to. He understands that Wild often got stressed out by his own memories. But seeing something that you couldn’t identify yet kept haunting you must be suck. 

Wild took a deep breath before he regained his voice. “I can’t believe that there will be a moment in my life where I don’t want a memory from my past. It will be a problem if these ‘fragments’ came when we tried to sneak out of this place. We couldn’t afford any mistakes because we don’t have much time. ” Wild scratched the back of his neck nervously.

“What do you mean?

“The blood moon is tomorrow. We have to get out of this place, today.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are closing to the climax!  
> Yeaay!
> 
> Thank you for all of your kudos and comments!

**Author's Note:**

> After a long time debating with myself, I finally decided to post my very fist fanfic. Please tell me if there is any grammatical mistakes, as English isn't my first language. I hope you enjoy the story. The next chapter is on the way!


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